Cargo handling apparatus



1963 I w. T. SPARROW ETAL 3,110,403

f CARGO HANDLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 51, 1962INVENTORS WILLAM T SPARROW JAMES BMONTGQMERY BY 2 g l W ATTORNEY 1963 w.'r. SPARROW ETAL 3,110,403

CARGO HANDLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 51, 1962 INVENTORSI {AM T SRARROW YI A K IES B. MONTGOMERY BYZ I g /bl W n 1 L E ATTORNEYNOV. 19-63 w. 'r. SPARROW ETAL 3 CARGO HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 51,1962' 4 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTORS l IAM T. SPARROW J 'X\ M ES E).MONTGOMEFQY ATTORNEY 1963 w. T. SPARROW ETAL 3,110,403

CARGO HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 31, I962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR5WILLIAM T. SPARROW JAMES B. MONTGOMERY ATTORNEY United States Patent3,110,403 CARQG HANEELENG AEEARATUE;

William T. Sparrow, Hampton, and .iames B. Montgomery, Newport News, Va,assignors to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry lloex Qompany, NewportNews, Va, a corporation of Virginia Filed Stan. 31, 1%-, Ser. No.179,165 11 Qlaims. (65. 212-3) The present invention relates to new andnovel cargo handling apparatus, and more particularly to heavy liftgear.

In addition to the conventional rig employed for loading and dischargingcargo, cargo vessels are generally provided with a heavy lift or jumboboom for handling cargo which is too heavy to lift with the regularships gear. Since this heavy lift gear adds top weight and is expensiveto install and maintain, it is usually rigged at only one hatch of theship. Sometimes provision is made for utilizing the same heavy lift gearat an additional hatch by dismantling the heavy lift gear, removing it,and then reassembling it. The extra fittings required for carrying outthis procedure add to the weight and expense of the rig and theoperation is very time-consuming.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an arrangement whereby the sameheavy lift boom structure can be employed at more than one hatch, thatis to say, at one hatch forward of the boom step and at another hatchaft of the boom step. Prior art arrangements have been provided forutilizing the same heavy lift boom at two difierent hatches withoutdisassembling the gear, but such prior art arrangements require the useof special, complicated and expensive fittings and mechanisms, andfurther require careful coordination of operations when switching fromone hatch to another.

The arrangement of the present invention provides a heavy lift boommrangement which is constructed to be employed with equal facility at ahatch both fore and aft of the boom step. No special blocks orcomplicated mechanisms are required in the present invention, and aparticular advantage of the arrangement herein disclosed is thatequipment readily available in conventional rigs can be employed forshifting the boom for use at either hatch.

In the arrangement of the present invention, the heel of the boom ismounted for substantially universal movement, and a topping liftattachment means is rigidly secured to the head portion of the boom,this attachment means being swivelly connected to a topping lift whichis in turn connected with topping lift blocks supported at the upperends of the king posts of the mast structure. The arrangement is suchthat the heavy lift boom can be swung fore and aft through a planeextending through the longitudinal axes of the king posts.

The cargo fall of the present invention includes an upper purchase blockwhich is supported from a cargo fall support means mounted at the headportion of the boom. This cargo fall support means is rotatably mountedwith respect to the boom and is axially fixed with respect thereto. Thispermits the cargo fall support means to be swung from side to side ofthe boom such that in moving from one hatch to another, the cargosupport means can be swung through an angle of 180 for disposing theupper purchase block in proper operative position with respect to theboom over either of the two hatches with which the boom is employed.

The boom can be readily swung through the aforedesoribed plane and thecargo fall support means rotated by attaching a pendant to the cargohook and pulling the hook and lower purchase block through between theking posts, the pendant being lead through a guide in the form of apadeye or the like and thence to a winch or other suitable means forapplying the necessary force to the pendant.

A particular advantage in the operation of the device when moving fromone hatch to the other is that it is only necessary to operate thetopping gear while the hoisting gear remains idle. The apparatus iseasily 0perated with a minimum of effort and with very little chance ofdamage due to mishandling or improper maintenance, and furthermore,replacement parts are readily available.

An object of the present invention is to provide cargo handlingapparatus including a heavy lift boom arrangement constructed so as tobe used with two diiferent hatches, one forward and one aft of the boomstep.

Another object of the invention is the provision of new and novel cargohandling apparatus including a heavy lift boom wherein no special blocksor complicated mechanisms are required.

A further object of the invention is to provide cargo handling apparatusincluding a heavy lift boom wherein the hoisting gear may remain idlewhen moving the boom from a position to operate with one hatch to aposition to operate with another hatch.

Still another object of the invention is to provide cargo handlingapparatus including a heavy lift boom arrangement which may be easilyoperated with a minimum of effort with little chance of damage frommishandling or improper maintenance and wherein replacement parts may bereadily obtained.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of cargohandling apparatus which is relatively simple and inexpensive inconstruction, and yet which is sturdy, reliable and eflicient in use.

Other objects and many attendant advantages of the invention will becomemore apparent when considered in connection with the specification andaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus according to the presentinvention as mounted on a ship;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 taken along :line2-2 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows in an intermediateposition wherein the boom apparatus is being moved from a position overone hatch to a position over the other hatch;

KG. 3 is a side view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the winchmechanism removed;

FIG. 4 is a view partly in section through the outer end portion of thehead of the boom and illustrating the details of construction of thetopping lift attachment means and the cargo fall support means;

FIG. 5 is a perspective exploded view illustrating the manner ofassembly of the components shown in FlG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 65 of FIG. 4looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 is a view partly broken away illustrating the mode of mountingthe heel portion of the boom; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one of the components shown in FIG. 7.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, as seen mostclearly in FIGS. 1-3, a portion of a cargo ship is indicated generallyby reference numeral 1%, the upper deck of the ship having the usualbulwarks 11 extending fore and aft at the sides of the deck, a forwardhold having three hatch covers l3, l4 and 15 disposed thereover, and anaft hold having three hatch covers 16, 17 and '18 disposed thereover.

A winch house 20' is disposed between the fore and aft hatches andserves to support the heavy lift gear mechanism hereinafter described.It should be understood 3 that the usual ships for loading anddischarging cargo would also be mounted on and adjacent to the winchhouse, but the conventional gear has been eliminated from the drawingsfor the sake of simplicity in order that the heavy lift boom mechanismmay be more readily understood. For example, the conventional gear whichmay be employed along with the heavy lift boom mechanism as shown hereinmay be of the type as shown in Marine Cargo Operations by Charles L.Sauerbier, published by John Wiley & Sons, copyrighted 1956.

A pair of king posts 25 and 26 extend upwardly from the winch house 25?,the king posts being spaced apart athwartships as shown particularly inFIG. 1, and being of a symmetrical tapered configuration as indicated inFIG. 2.

A pair of laterally inwardly projecting lead block brackets 27 and 28are provided, these lead block brackets being respectively fixed to theupper end of king posts 25 and 26. Single topping lift lead blocks 3%and 31 are movably supported from brackets 27 and respectively.

A pair of swivel members 32 and 33 are rotatably supported on upwardlyextending journal portions provided at the top of the king posts 25 andas respectively, the king posts including cap plate members 35 and 36respectively which extend in overlying relationship to the journalportions for retaining the swivel member in operative position as shown.A pair of multiple sheave topping lift king post blocks 33 and 39 areprovided, these blocks each including a pair of spaced integral cars 38and 39 respectively, these cars being pivotally supported by theoutwardly projecting end portions of swivel men bers 32 and 33respectively, whereby these blocks are pivotally supported by therespective swivel members which are in turn rotatably supported at theupper ends of the king posts.

A heavy lift boom 44} is provided, this boom being provided with a loweror heel portion indicated generally by reference numeral 41, and anupper or head portion indicated generally by reference numeral 42. Theboom is mounted such that the lower or heel portion thereof issubstantially universally mounted, and as seen particularly in FIG. 7,the heel portion of the boom is bifurcated so as to provide twodownwardly extending spaced portions 43 and 44 having bores 43' and 44'formed therethrough respectively. A boom support memher as seenparticularly in FIG; 8 indicated generally by reference numeral 45 isprovided with a downwardly extending substantially cylindrical shankportion 45, an outwardly extending annular flange 47 being formed at anintermediate portion thereof, and an upwardly extending portion 48 beingprovided with an opening 49 extending completely therethrough.

As seen in FIG. 7, a heel pin 52 is supported within the alignedopenings 43', 44 and 49 for pivotally supporting the boom about the axisof the heel pin. In addition, the shank portion 46 of the support memberis rotatably supported within a recess provided in the boom pedestal 55,and accordingly, the support member 45 is adapted to rotate about thevertically extending longitudinal axis thereof with respect to the boompedestal.

As will be noted particularly in FIG. 1, the boom pedestal is disposedat a central portion of the Winch house 24 and the vertical axis ofrotation of support member 45 is disposed along a center line passingtrough the longitudinal axes of the two king posts 25 and 2-6. It willalso be understood that the horizontal boom heel pin axis is centeredabout the vertical axis of support member 45.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the head portion 42 of the heavy liftboom is shown, and an enlarged annular collar is formed on the boom, theoutermost end portion 57 of the boom being of reduced diameter. A cargofall support means or sleeve 66 is provided, this sleeve including amain tubular portion 61 which has a bore therethrough adapted to snuglyreceive the reduced portion 57 of the boom, whereby the support means isadapted to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the bocmf Formedintegral with the main tubular body portion 61 is a laterally extendingpad 62 having an opening to provided through the outer portion thereoffor supporting the upper purchase block hereinafter described. a

As seen in H6. 5, when assembling the apparatus at the head portion ofthe boom, the cargo fall support means so is slipped over the reducedend portion 57 of the boom and slid thereon to a point such that thelower edge portion 55 thereof engages the annular collar 56 formed onthe boom, thereby limiting axial movement of the support means.

A topping lift attachment means indicated generally by reference numeral68 comprises a tubular body portion 69 having a bore therein wmch snuglyreceives the outermost part of the reduced end portion 57 of the boom, amain spinning plate member '76 being secured as by welding indicated at'73 to the outermost end portion of tubular body portion s9, plate '79being elongated as particularly seen in HG. 5 with a pair or" angularlyspaced cars 73 and 7d at the opposite ends thereof, these cars beingprovided with openings 75 and 76 formed therethrough respectively.

in order to reinforce and strengthen the structure of the topping liftattachment means, a pair of gusset plates 79 and Si) are welded betweenthe outer surface of tubular body portion s9 and the under surface ofplate member 70. After having placed the cargo fall support means 61 inoperative position as aforedescribcd, the topping lift attachment means63 is slipped over the outermost end of the reduced portion 57 of theboom and then suitably secured in operative position as by welding orany other suitable means.

After the completion of this assembly, it is apparent that member 68 isfixed to the outer end of the boom while member 6% is fixed againstaxial movement with respect to the boom since the lower end of tubularportion 69 of the member 63 is adjacent the upper end of the tubularportion 61 of member 69, while member 6% is additionally free to rotatewith respect to the boom about the longitudinal axis of the boom.

It is also important to note that the topping lift at tachment means 65;is disposed such that the longitudinal axis of member 63 is parallelwith the axis of the boom heel pin 52, and furthermore, fitting 68 issymmetrical about a plane passing through the boom axis and the boomheel pin axis. A multiple sheave topping lift boom head block 83 isconnected by means of a chain 8 .1 to ear 7 4 of fitting 63, and asimilar multiple sheave topping lift boom head block 35 is connected bymeans of chain 86 to car 73 of fitting es. It is apparent that chains 54and 86 will serve to swivelly connect the associated blocks 33 and tothe associated ears of fitting 68.

A topping lift cable 94? is reeved through topping lift blocks 38, S3and 3t and passes downwardly and is connected either to a topping winch91 or through a fair lead and thence to the winch. A topping lift cable$2 is reeved through topping lift blocks 39, S5 and 31 and to a secondtopping winch 93 or through a suitable fair lead and thence to thetopping winch. It is apparent that the topping lifts are attached to thetops of the king posts in such a manner that it will provide a widerange of operation from forward-and-outboard through any inboard angleto aft-and-outboard.

In operation, either fore or aft of the king posts, the boom is handledjust like a conventional split topping rig, and it will be seen that inPEG. 1, the boom is disposed over the forward hatch.

As seen particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3, an upper purchase block issupported by suitable means such as a chain or the like fill from thepad 62 of the cargo fall support means Gil. A lower purchase block 193has supported therefrom a conventional cargo hook 1M, and a cargo fallcable 5 is reeved through the upper and lower purchase blocks and thencedownwardly through a cargo purchase lead block 167 to a cargo winch 168.it will be noted that the cargo purchase lead block is disposed abreastthe heel of the boom and is disposed substantially along a center lineextending between the longitudinal axes of the king posts. A pair ofguide means 110 and 111 which may be in the form of padeyes or the likeare secured to the upper surface of the winch house, guide means lit?being disposed at the forward end of the house and guide means 111 beingdisposed at the aft end of the house. It will be noted as seen in FIG. 1that these guide means 118 and 111 are disposed on opposite sides of aplane extending through the longitudinal axes of the king posts, and itwill be further noted that the guide means are oifset laterally, that isto say, to the port side of the heel portion of the boom, the cargopurchase lead block 1&7 also being offset laterally on the same side ofthe heel portion of the boom.

Assuming that the heavy lift boom is initially employed for loading andunloading with respect to the forward hatch, and it is desired to shiftthe boom such that it can be operated in conjunction with the aft hatch,the topping lift mechanism is utilized to swing the boom toward theplane passing through the axes of the kin-g posts, and the boom istopped as high as possible, utilizing the topping lift gear, the hoistgear being idled during this operation. A pendant or other suitablemeans is then attached to the cargo hook, this pendant being indicatedby phantom line 115 in FIG. 2. The pendant is then preferably passedthrough the guide means 111 and thence to a winch or oth r suitablemeans. Then, by pulling on the pendant the cargo hook is pulled throughbetween the boom and king post 25, that is to say, the cargo hook issworn around on the same side of the boom as the cargo purchase leadblock. By so pulling on the pendant, the cargo fall support means oilwill be rotated through an angle of approximately 180, and the boom headwill pass over dead center through the plane passing through thelongitudinal axes of the two king posts, and the boom mechanism willthen be in position to be lowered on the aft side of the king post foroperating with the aft hatch, it being evident that the cargo purchaseblocks will then be in the proper working position below the boom.

In moving the boom back again for operation with the forward hatch, theprocedure is reversed, the boom first being topped as high as possiblefrom the aft hatch, a pendant then being attached to the cargo hook, andthe pendant then being passed through guide means all! and thence to awinch or the like. Pulling on the pendant will then serve to pull thecargo hook and lower purchase block back between the boom and king post25, the cargo fall support means 69 again rotating through an angle ofapproximately 180 and the boom moving back over dead center to theforward side of the king posts.

It is important to note that during movement of the boom from a forwardto an aft position and Vice versa, it is merely necessary to operate thetopping lift gear while the hoisting gear remains idle. This eliminatesthe necessity of providing any coordination of operation of the hoistingand the topping lift gears during the shifting process.

It will also be noted that FIG. 2 indicates the position of thecomponents during movement of the cargo hook and lower purchase blockfrom one side to the other, with the cargo fall support means 68 beingshown in the position it occupies after rotating approximately 90.

The phantom line positions shown in FIG. 2 indicate outboard positionsof the boom.

FIG. 3 illustrates in solid lines the position of the boom over theforward hatch, while the position indicated by phantom line C indicatesthe approximate dead center line of the boom, phantom line position A ofthis figure illustrating the position of the boom in overlyingrelationship to the aft hatch.

In addition to the specific arrangement shown, it will be apparent toone skilled in the art that the rig as described above can be modifiedto permit the use of dual leads from the upper cargo purchase block totwo winches, or to permit the use of an upper cargo lead block near theupper cargo purchase block.

It is apparent from the foregoing that there is provided new and novelcargo handling apparatus including a heavy lift boom construction whichmay be utilized with two hatches, one of the hatches being disposedforward of the boom step and one of the hatches being disposed aft ofthe boom step. No special blocks or complicated mechanisms are requiredfor operating and shifting the boom mechanism, and the hoisting gearremains idle while the boom is being shifted from a forward to an aftposition and vice versa. The components necessary for operating thestructure are readily available, and the arrangement may be easilyoperated with little chance of damage from mishandling or impropermaintenance.

Replacement parts are, of course, readily available for this type ofapparatus. The over-all structure is quite simple and inexpensive inconstruction, and yet is sturdy, reliable and eflicient in use.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the presentembodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, and since thescope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, all changesthat fall within the mates and bounds of the claims or that form theirfunctional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are thereforeintended to be embraced by those claims.

We claim:

Cargo handling apparatus comprising a mast structure, a heavy lift boomhaving a heel portion and a head portion, means mounting the heelportion of the boom for substantially universal movement, topping liftmeans connected between said mast structure and said boom, cargo fallsupport means mounted at the head portion of said boom, said cargo fallsupport means being movably mounted with respect to said head portion,and cargo fall means supported by said cargo fall support means, andmeans for receiving and guiding a portion of said cargo fall means andbeing offset laterally on only one side of said boom to permit the boomto be moved into any operative position without removing the cargo fallmeans from the associated receiving and guiding means.

2. Cargo handling apparatus comprising a mast structure including a pairof spaced king posts, a heavy lift boom having a heel portion and a headportion, means universally mounting the heel portion or" the boombetween said king posts for movement about vertical and horizontal axes,topping lift attachment means fixedly connected to the head portion ofsaid boom, topping lift means connected between said mast structure andsaid topping lift attachment means, cargo tall support means mounted atthe head portion of said boom and being rotatable with respect to saidboom, and cargo fall means supported by said cargo fall support means,and means for receiving and guiding a portion of said cargo fall meansand being offset laterally on only one side of said boom and disposedsubstantially on a center line between said king posts.

3. Cargo handling apparatus comprising mast structure including a pairof spaced king posts, a heavy lift boom having a heel portion and a headportion, means mounting said heel portion substantially on a center lineextending between said king posts for substantially universal movement,topping lift attachment means fixedly secured to the head portion ofsaid boom, topping lift means connected between said king posts and saidtopping lift attachment means, cargo fall support means mounted at thehead portion of said boom and being rotatably mounted with respect tothe boom but axially fixed with respect thereto, and cargo fall meanssupported by said cargo fall support means.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 including a cargo purchase lead blockfor receiving and guiding a portion of said cargo fall means, said cargopurchase lead bloc being disposed abreast the heel portion of the boomand substantially on a center line between said king posts.

5. Cargo handling apparatus comprising mast structure: including a pairof spaced king posts, a heavy lift boom having a heel portion and a headportion, said boom being pivotally supported on a heel pin and beingmounted for pivotal movement about the heel pin axis, said heel pinbeing mounted for swinging movement about a vertical axis to provide auniversal mounting for said boom, topping lift attachment means fixedlymounted at the head portion of said boom and being substantiallysymmetrical about a plane passing through the longitudinal axis of theboom and the boom heel pin axis, topping lift means connected betweensaid icing posts and opposite end portions of said topping liftattachment means, cargo fall support means mounted at the head portionof said boom adjacent said topping lift attachment means and beingmounted for rotation with respect to said boom about the longitudinalaxis of the boom, and cargo fall means supported by said cargo fallsupport means.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, including a cargo purchase leadblock for receiving and guiding a portion of said cargo fall means, saidcargo purchase lead block being mounted substantially on a center lineextending between said king posts.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6, including a pair of guide meansdisposed on opposite sides of a plane extending through the longitudinalaxes of said king posts, said guide means being ofi'set laterally withrespect to said boom on the same side as said cargo purchase lead block.

8. Cargo handling apparatus comprising mast structure including a pairof spaced king posts, a lead block bracket secured to the upper endportion of each of said king posts, a topping lift lead block movablymounted on each of said brackets, a topping lift swivel rotatablymounted at the upper end portion of each of said king posts, a toppinglift block movabiy supported by each of said swivels, a heavy lift boomhaving a head portion and a heel portion, means mounting the heelportion of said boom substantially along the center line extendingbetween said king posts for substantially universal movement, toppinglift attachment means secured to the head portion of said boom and fixedagainst rotation relative thereto, a topping lift block swivellyconnected to each opposite end portion of said topping lift attachmentmeans, topping lift means reeved through said topping lift blocks, cargofall support means mounted at the head portion of said boom and beingrotatable with respect to said boom about the longitudinal axis of saidboom and being axially fixed with respect to said boom, and cargo fallmeans supported by said cargo fall support means.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said cargo fall meansincludes an upper purchase block supported by chase lead block receivingand guiding a portion of said cargo fall means, said cargo purchase leadblock being mounted laterally of the heel of said boom substantiallyalong a center line extending between said king posts.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9, including a pair of guide means forreceiving and guiding a pendant adapted to be attached to the cargo hookfor transferring the boom from one side to the opposite side of a planeextending through the longitudinal axes of said king posts, said guidemeans being disposed on opposite sides of said plane and being offsetlaterally of the heel of the boom on the same side of the heel of theboom as the cargo purchase lead block.

11. Cargo handling apparatus comprising a ship having a Winch housedisposedat the upper portion thereof and including a first hatchdisposed forwardly of said house and a second hatch disposed aft of saidhousing, a pair of king posts extending upwardly from said house andbeing spaced athwartships, a lead block bracket fixed at the upper endportion of each of said king posts, a topping lift lead block rhovablysupported by each of said lead block brackets, a topping lift swivelrotatably mounted at the upper end portion of each of said king posts, atopping lift block movably supported by each of said swivels, a heavylift boom having a head portion and a heel portion, said heavy lift boombeing supported by said house and being mounted at its heel portion forsubstantially universal movement on a center line extending between saidking posts, a topping lift attachment means secured to the head portionof said boom and fixed against rotation relative thereto, a topping liftblock swivelly connected to each end portion of said topping liftattachment means, topping lift means reeved through said topping liftlocks, a winch connected with said topping lift means and supported bysaid house for selectively operating same, cargo fall support meansmounted at the head portion of said boom and being rotatably mountedwith respect thereto and axially fixed with respect thereto, an upperpurchase block supported by said cargo fall support means, a lowerpurchase block supported from said upper purchase block, a cargo hooksupported from said lower purchase block, a cargo purchase lead blocksupported by said house and being disposed abreast the lieel of saidboom substantially along the center line extending between said kingposts, cargo fall means reeved through said cargo blocks, a winchconnected with said 'cargo fall means and being supported by saidhousing, and a pair of guide means for receiving a pendant attached tothe cargo hook when moving the boom from one side of a plane passingthrough the longitudinal axes of said king posts to the other side ofsaid plane, said guide means being disposed on opposite sides of saidplane and being offset laterally of the heel of the boom on the sameside as said cargo purchase lead block.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,914,193 Kohnenkamp Nov. 24, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 937,992 Germany Ian.19, 1956 1,020,544 Germany Dec. 5, 1957

1. CARGO HANDLING APPARATUS COMPRISING A MAST STRUCTURE, A HEAVY LIFTBOOM HAVING A HEEL PORTION AND A HEAD PORTION, MEANS MOUNTING THE HEELPORTION OF THE BOOM FOR SUBSTANTIALLY UNIVERSAL MOVEMENT, TOPPING LIFTMEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID MAST STRUCTURE AND SAID BOOM, CARGO FALLSUPPORT MEANS MOUNTED AT THE HEAD PORTION OF SAID BOOM, SAID CARGO FALLSUPPORT MEANS BEING MOVABLY MOUNTED WITH RESPECT TO SAID HEAD PORTION,AND CARGO FALL MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID CARGO FALL SUPPORT MEANS, ANDMEANS FOR RECEIVING AND GUIDING A PORTION OF SAID CARGO FALL MEANS ANDBEING OFFSET LATERALLY ON ONLY ONE SIDE OF SAID BOOM TO PERMIT THE BOOMTO BE MOVED INTO ANY OPERATIVE POSITION WITHOUT REMOVING THE CARGO FALLMEANS FROM THE ASSOCIATED RECEIVING AND GUIDING MEANS.